The invention relates to a glueable panel for forming a generally planar surface. The invention is also directed to a method of assembling a planar surface from a plurality of panels. While the uses for a planar surface are numerous, the invention will likely be most commonly used as a floor, especially a floating flooring where the floor is not attached to the subfloor.
It is well-known to incorporate floor or wall covering into the design of business or residential uses in order to improve the aesthetics or alter the appearance of rooms. In addition to aesthetic concerns, floor, wall and ceiling coverings may also serve utilitarian purposes as well.
Over the years, many techniques for covering surfaces have been developed. Wallpaper and paneling are but a few examples. A wood surface has been found to be not only aesthetically pleasing, but very durable and low-maintenance. For this reason, many prefer wood covering because of its beauty, low-maintenance, and resistance to wear.
Assembly and installation of floor covering is often an arduous task. For example, unlike carpet or wallpaper, the wood covering required skill, precise measurement and specialized tools in order to install it correctly. Unlike carpet or wallpaper, wood flooring could be neither stretched nor folded in order to accommodate the dimensions of a room. Additionally, wood flooring, especially flooring of tile or planks, required precision fitting in order to prevent the occurrence of gaps or cracks which would affect the physical appearance, as well as the durability and wear-resistance of the covering. This was also true of laminated flooring which has become popular in recent years, including the so-called xe2x80x9cgluelessxe2x80x9d floors which have edges framed with interlocking patterns. Such floors cannot be assembled by pushing the panels together in the same plane, but must be manipulated through a series of angular motions in a particular sequence to assemble the panels into a floor. Therefore, great care and skill are required to insure that the tiles and panels of the surface covering fit neatly and tightly together. This often proved to be an arduous task, as hundreds of tiles or panels were generally required in order to cover a desired surface.
In order to properly install a surface covering of the prior art, one was generally required to carefully install the covering, tile-by-tile, and generally tapping and/or nailing each tile into place, or gluing and adhering the newly-placed tile to the surface to be covered, as well as the previously-placed tile. With the so-called xe2x80x9cgluelessxe2x80x9d floor, the planks required manipulation to assemble them and the floors have been known to fail at the joint since the interlocking patterns at the edges are relatively thin, being machined into these plank edges. Because numerous tiles or panels were often required to be placed, there was the omnipresent danger of one of the tiles or panels becoming unseated during installation, which often required an installer to re-do his work to replace the shifted tile or panel. Still further, temporary clamps or installation straps were required to maintain the panels in position until the glue dried. The present invention addresses these and many other problems of the prior art.
The invention is directed to a glueable panel for forming a generally planar surface. The panel includes a first surface, lying substantially in a plane, and a second surface facing opposite the first surface and disposed substantially parallel to and displaced from the first surface. A perimeter of the panel is defined by edges extending between the first and second surfaces. The edges may include male edges and/or female edges.
In one embodiment, the panels of the invention are provided with edges that are dimensioned as to increase the friction between assembled panels such the glue may dry without the necessity for external clamps or installation straps. In another embodiment, each male edge includes a tongue extending outwardly from the male edge and a longitudinally extending void extending inwardly of the tongue. Each female edge includes a groove having a protrusion positioned within the groove. The protrusion extends outwardly from the groove generally parallel to the first surface. Adjacent panels may be linked to similar panels such that the tongue engages the groove and the protrusion enters into the void.
Alternatively, the tongue may include a pair of flange-shaped fingers, and the void may extend between the fingers. The void may be formed as a general U-shape. Optionally, the U-shape may be formed with an enlarged bight, and the protrusion may include a bulbous end, such that the bight and the bulbous end are formed to cooperatively engage one another when the protrusion is inserted into the void.
The foregoing are but two ways of increasing the friction or providing an interlocking joint of strength sufficient to permit assembly of adjacent panels without clamping, and without the need for installation straps, or, hammers and tapping blocks. In fact, the panels of the invention can be installed by using hand and arm pressure alone, without the aid of any tools or machines of any kind. Thus, as used herein, the term xe2x80x9cmanualxe2x80x9d means, xe2x80x9cwithout the aid of tools or machines.xe2x80x9d The friction or interlock need only be sufficient to hold the panels together while the adhesive sets. Panels may be formed where all the edges are identical, for example, all male, or all female edges, or the panels may have differently shaped edges of common gender, e.g two male and two female edges per plank. When more than one male or female edge appears on a single plank, it is not necessary that all single male (or female) edges have the same shape, i.e., the shape of each male edge can differ from other male edges, and each female edge can differ from other female edges. For example, a male edge on a long side of the planking may have a male edge on the short side of the plank which differs in shape. Optionally, adjacent panels are formed to slidingly engage one another along engaged edges. This engagement allows sliding movement but restrains relative movement of the panels transverse to the engaged edges. Such sliding movement facilitates the gluing of the panels, as will be discussed below.
The panels may be formed of any geometric shape. Commonly, the panels will form rectangles, and each male edge may be positioned opposite, or adjacent a female edge. Of course, other planar geometric shapes are also possible, such as triangles, pentagons, hexagons, octagons, or the like.
Preferably, the first (or top) surface of the plank is covered with a laminate. The laminate may be selectively chosen for aesthetics to make any type of pattern, such as a wood grain or stone pattern, for example. Laminates maybe of the high pressure laminate (HPL) or direct laminate (DL) types. Typically, the laminate includes a decorative paper, hard particles such as Al2O3, to resist abrasion and scratching, and a resin, such as melamine or other thermosetting resin. Additionally, the panel may also include an adhesive positioned along at least one of the male edges or female edges. The adhesive may be one which is placed on the panel when the panel edges are manufactured or formed at the factory. However, the adhesive may alternately be one placed on the edges immediately before joining the edge to an adjacent panel. In one preferred embodiment, the adhesive is contained within or activated by microballoons that are ruptured upon joining of the plank edges. Alternatively, the adhesive may be activated by use of a solvent, or perhaps the adhesive maybe activated by a chemical reaction that is initiated by friction of the panels contacting one another.
The panels are formed to fit together such that when a first surface of a first panel abuts a first surface of the adjacent panel, there remains no gap therebetween when the panels are in an installed condition.
The invention also includes a method of assembling a planar surface from interlockable panels, such as the ones referred to above. The method includes the steps of providing a plurality of interlockable panels, placing the first surfaces of adjacent panels within a common plane, and manually linking the male edge of a first panel with the female edge of a second panel, or vice-versa by sliding the panels in a common plane. Such assembly can be done using hand and arm pressure alone on a horizontal planar surface. The joints do not require lifting or rotating, or a hammer or tapping block or other tool, that provides leverage to close joint. An adhesive is applied to the joined edges, which allows the installer to select a desired position, then allow the adhesive to cure with the panels in position. The edges are configured to hold the panels in a joined condition until the adhesive cures. Because the edges have sufficient friction or interlock to hold the panels in place while the adhesive cures, no clamping is needed, and no straps are required.
In one preferred embodiment of the method, the linking step may include the step of aligning the male edge of the first panel with the female edge of the second panel in a substantially collinear fashion, then engaging the male edge of the first panel into the female edge of the second panel.
Alternatively, the method includes the step of snap-fitting the male edge into the female edge.
Hand and arm pressure is all that is needed to assemble the friction and interlocking joints of the present invention.
In the embodiments of the invention, the method may also include the step of sliding the panels along the joint edge until a desired position is reached.
Also, the embodiments of the method include the step of applying adhesive to at least one of the male edges or the female edges. The adhesive maybe applied immediately before joining the panels, or it may be activated (such as, by a solvent or by the rupturing of microballoons that contains either solvent, adhesive, or reactive components). Optionally, the adhesive is self-activated so that the adhesive becomes active upon joining adjacent panels, e.g. the male edges contain one part of a two part adhesive and the female edge contains the other part. The joining of the panels causes the adhesive to become activated.